Toy building blocks



Jan. 17, 1961 N. l. PAULSON TOY BUILDING BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18, 1956 F/G. l3

blllil l IN\IIEINT OR PAULSON NILS I.

ATTORNEY Jan. 17; 1961 N. l. PAULSQN 2,963,118

TOY BUILD'ING BLOCKS Filed June 18, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR NILS LPAULSON BY MM C ATTORNEY Jan. 17, 1961 N. I. PAULSON TOY BUILDING BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 18, 1956 INVENTOR I NILS I.PAULQSON ATTORNEY United States Patent TOY BUILDING BLOCKS Nils I. Paulson, Chicago, Ill., ass'ignor to Halsam Pr0ducts Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 18, 1956, Ser. No. 591,960

6 Claims. (CI. 46-19) This invention relates to toy building'bloc'ks.

The several building elements are designed to make it possible to simulate, if desired, conventional and multistoried building structures.

The nature of the invention and further details thereof will readily appear from the following description of illustrative building elements embodying the invention and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative multistoried building made from the illustrative building blocks or structural elements or units;

Fig. 2 is an exploded elevation of illustrative structural elements detached from each other but having the relative arrangement which they occupy when assembled;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank used for floors and formed with weakened or break lines to facilitate subdivision of the blank into floor sections of the desired size and shape;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the corner of a floor section at a column and showing the spacing pads which vertically spaced superposed units by the thickness of the floor;

Fig. 5 is a similar detail of a floor section at an intermediate column;

Fig. 6 is a plan section illustrating the interlocking of columns and wall units;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of column units showing the telescoping element for assembling a plurality of column units;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a column cap unit;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a column unit with a subjacent column unit telescoped therein;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of two spaced column units connected together to permit formation of a stepped back construction;

Fig. 11 illustrates a stair section and means for interlocking the same with a column; and

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are plan views showing column sections which permit interlocking of adjacent columns or wall sections either at 45 or 90 angles.

In general the building elements comprise three basic units: interlocking column, wall, and floor units 7, 8 and 9. The wall units come in the form of doors, windows or balustrades and advantageously are of varying widths which are whole multiples of a minimum unit width which, in this case, is that of a single window or door 10 and 11 (Fig. 2).

The column and wall interlocking means is here represented by head and slot elements, the head being embodied in marginal ribs 12 on the wall units and the slots being open ended slots 13 in each of the four column faces (Fig. 6). The ribs are necked down'as at 14 under the heads to the width of the slots 13.

The slotted column unit faces are integrally united adjacent one end of each cf the column units by a star shaped stud 15 (Fig. 7) which projects substantially beyond one end of the unit and is adapted to enter and 5 "ice frictionally fit in the interior of a superposed column unit which constitutes a socket for the stud, thereby connecting the column units together with the open ends of the slots 13 in alignment and providing continuous slots in each of the column faces extending from top to bottom of the assembled column. In the present building each star stud 15 is longer than the column section is deep by a distance equivalent to the floor thickness, for purposes presently explained. 'It spaces the column units by contact with the inner end of the star stud of the adjacent column unit. The spaces between the several flanges 16 of studs 15 are adapted to receive the enlarged head 12 on the wall and door units. Assembly is effected by passing the head 12 into the open end of slot 13 or vice versa.

The column sections are advantageously formed into.

lengths which are a simple fraction of the height of the wall and door units. In this case the length of each column unit is one-third of the height of the wall units,-the wall and door units extending from floor to ceiling. Thus, for each story of the building the tops of the wall and column units are flush and provide a flush surface 18 to receive the margins of the floor sections 9 (Fig. 2).

The material for the floor sections is in sheet form 20 (Fig. 3) and is advantageously subdivided by straight and star shaped weakened or break lines 21 and 22 respectively, into variously sized areas 23 whose dimensions are whole multiples of the combined unit width of a wall and column unit, to adapt the same to various arrangements. For example, the floor section 24 embraces the square area enclosed by single unit wall elements, whereas the section 25 is a rectangular area of two units width and four long. The floor blanks may also carry decorative patterns simulating block or tile flooring, carpets, etc.

The star shaped break-out pieces correspond with the star shaped sections of the studs 15 of-the columns, and when removed leave star shaped recesses in the floor section margins which are complimentary to and register with the star shaped ribs of a column stud whether at a corner or at an intermediate position in a wall (Figs. 4 and 5); and their spacing corresponds to the unit or multiple unit widths of wall or door elements. Thus when a properly proportioned floor section 23 is seated on the aforesaid flush surface 18 of the column and wall tops, the star shaped marginal recesses 22 fit around the that of the floor unit, thereby to maintain horizontal :reg-

istry of the wall and stair units throughout the building structure, in the event that a floor unit is omitted in certain portions of the structure to provide multi-storied ceilings.

The surplus length on the column studs 15 serves to space the column units by a distance which simulates a. conventional horizontal mortar joint between the units. g,

Columns may be located intermediate corner columns as at 27 (Fig. 6) by interlocking wall and door elements in opposite slots 13 in the column. Such columns as well as corner columns firmly unite the several elements of a the structure. The column connecting'studs 15 serve also to connect superposed stories together into a substantially rigid structure.

The several structural elements are advantageously die cast from an appropriate thermo-setting plastic such as p v polystyrene or other tough and slightly flexible yet stilt material, which permits the use of thin sections with close dimensional tolerances and accurate simulation conventional building design including superficial ornamentation. It is thus possible to provide close sliding friction fits between the interlocking wall and column units to eliminate looseness between the units and thus to achieve substantial rigidity in the assembled structure. As shown in Fig. 6, for example, the interlocking head 12 of a wall or door unit makes line contacts with adjacent flanges of the column studs 15 and the thin section of the flanges permits the slight flexibility necessary to maintain a friction contact sufficient to prevent the units from sliding apart and yet to permit easy interlocking of the heads 12 in slots 13. Similarly, in the case of studs 15, the free ends of the column faces, connected together as they are only at one end, can flex outwardly sufiiciently frictionally to grip an inserted stud (Fig. 9).

The sheet floor material may also advantageously be made from a plastic sheet embossed to provide the aforesaid break" lines. The latter may of course be located to provide floor sections of shapes other than those illustrated in the drawings.

The wall and door sections may not only embody dilferent designs and arrangements but may have varying superficial ornamentation.

Various accessories are advantageously provided to improve the simulation of conventional buildings. For example, the uppermost column studs 15 may be covered with a finishing cap 28 (Fig. 8) having slots therein registering with the column slots 13. The cap may advantageously be located to rise above the level of a floor, and a low balustrade 30 interlocked with the slots in the cap to simulate conventional construction. The top 31 of the cap is advantageously provided with a hole 32 into which a flag pole 33 or a mast may be inserted if desired.

To permit one story to be set back from the next lower story, if desired, offset and joined column sections 23 (Fig. 10) are provided by which stepped back columns may be connected to an adjacent column (see Fig. 1). In the present instance the stepped back column unit is connected to a column cap to permit the stepped back column 34 to rise from the level of a floor (see Fig. 1).

Similarly, as illustrated in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, the column sections may be formed to permit interlocking of adjacent column sections and walls at 45 and 90 angles. Column sections may be provided with ribs 35 (similar to the ribs 12 of the wall units) either along a corner or face (see Figs. 12 and 14 respectively); or a slot 36 (similar in function to the slots 13) at a corner (see Fig. 13), the latter permits the interlocking of a wall unit at an angle of to other units. These figures illustrate some of the possible floor plans thus made possible.

Another accessory is a stair unit 37 (see Fig. 11) having at its sides head elements 38 similar to the head elements 12 on the wall and door units, by which the stair unit may be interlocked with a column slot at any appropriate place in the building. Each stair unit preferably extends a unit distance along a wall so that successive stair units may be connected to successive column slots along a given wall; and the height of each stair unit is a simple fraction (one-third in this case) of the height of a wall unit, so that the top and bottom stair sections will register with the respective floor levels.

It will be observed that the exposed slots in the column faces appear simply as lines in the column faces which harmonize with the superficial design. It will also be apparent that the basic column, wall and floor units permit great flexibility in design and arrangement as well as superficial ornamentation on the units themselves.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrative construction since these may be variously modified. Moreover it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly since various features may be used to advantage in different combinations and subcombinations.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A building toy comprising in combination a plurality of telescoped column units of rectangularly arranged faces, each face having longitudinally extended slots therein open at each end and extending continuously from end to end of the unit, each unit having a longitudinally extending recess behind and wider than the slot and also extending from end to end of said unit, each unit having a non-circular stud projecting from one end only and adapted to be telescoped into the open end of an adjacent unit to connect the same together and to register said slots to provide a continuous slot open at both ends extending from top to bottom of the assembled column units, and a wall unit having along a side edge a marginal rib with an enlarged head of a size to fit into a recess behind the slot in a column and a reduced neck below said head adapted to slide in said slot, said wall unit and assembled column being interlocked by a relative longitudinal movement wherein the said head enters the said recess at an open end, said stud connecting said faces together in a unitary structure and holding said faces adjacent said slots substantially rigid against lateral separation whereby the enlarged head of said wall unit is held in said recess against lateral separation from said column unit.

2. A toy-building block comprising a hollow column unit of generally square section, a face of said unit having a continuous slot open at both ends extending from top to bottom of the unit, a stud projecting from one end only of said unit and comprising a plurality of vertical ribs with a space between the same, the opposite end of said unit being hollow and adapted to receive a like stud of an adjacent unit, the faces of said column separated by said slot being each connected to a rib of the first namedstud into a unitary structure, the space between ribs registering with and being wider than said slot, a wall unit having a rib projecting into said slot and having an enlarged head locked in said space against lateral separation therefrom.

3. A toy building block structure comprising in combination a hollow column unit having a longitudinal slot in its face and a longitudinally extending inner recess behind and larger than said slot and communicating with said slot, a stud of non-circular section projecting from one end only of said unit adapted to enter the opposite hollow end of a like unit to connect the units together with said slots in alignment to form a continuous slot extending from one end to the other of the assembled units, and a wall unit having along a side edge a rib of a thickness corresponding to the width of said slot and a terminal head larger than said slot and adapted to interlock in said recess by telescoping therewith, said stud connecting the portions of said face adjacent said slot together rigidly against lateral separation, thereby preventing release of said head from said recess by lateral movement.

4. A toy building block structure comprising in combination a plurality of alternating column and wall units having a vertically extending rib and slot connecting means to interlock the units against lateral separation, said rib connecting means having a head larger than said slot, and said slot connecting means being constructed and arranged to prevent lateral separation of column and wall units, said rib and slot connecting means being engageable with said slot only by longitudinal telescoping of rib and slot, the tops of the wall and column units being flush with a floor level, each column unit having a stud of non-circular section projecting above the floor level to telescope with a superposed column unit rising above said floor level, and a floor unit resting on the tops of wall and column units at the said floor level and having cutout portions of a non-circular section corresponding to that of said stud and surrounding portions of said stud to provide interlocking means to prevent lateral separation of stud and floor section, and a second level of column units fitting over said studs and wall units interlocked with the latter column units and resting on said floor unit.

5. A toy building block structure comprising in combination a plurality of alternating column and wall units having a vertically extending rib and slot connecting means to interlock the units against lateral separation, said rib connecting means having a head larger than said slot and said slot connecting means being rigid to prevent lateral separation of column and wall units, said rib and slot connecting means being engageable only by longitudinal telescoping of rib and slot, the tops of the wall and column units being flush with a floor level, each column unit having a ribbed stud projecting above the floor level to telescope with a superposed column unit rising above said floor level to align the connecting means on the telescoped column units, and a floor unit resting on the tops of wall and column units at the said floor level, said floor unit having interlocking means including cut-out portions registering with and complementary to and intelocking with the ribbed portion of said studs to interlock the columns with the floor units, and a second level of column units fitting over said studs and wall units interlocked with the latter column units and resting thereon.

6. In a toy building structure the combination comprising a plurality of column units each having star-shaped References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 311,793 Stranders Feb. 3, 1885 1,286,462 7 Wesche Dec. 3, 1918 1,426,087 Metcalfe Aug. 15, 1922 1,870,978 Wolfe Aug. 9, 1932 2,031,848 Ogden Feb. 25, 1936 2,112,247 McLoughlin Mar. 29, 1938 2,338,297 Slaughter Nov. 6, 1945 2,497,657 Cole Feb. 14, 1950 2,636,312 Martin Apr. 28, 1953 2,747,325 Kutscha May 29, 1956 2,800,743 Meehan et a1. July 30, 1957 

